The Unappreciated Houses
by Misha
Summary: A different look at Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff...
1. Hufflepuff: It's Not Fair

It's Not Fair   
By Misha 

Disclaimer- Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling and is not mine, however much I might wish differently. However, I am not making any money off of this, so please do not sue me! 

Author's Notes- Okay, this is short and is set in book four, right after the Goblet of Fire calls Harry's name. It's told from the perspective of an unknown Hufflepuff, because I think that they are too often dismissed. In fact, I think that's the book are overly biased in their portrayals of the houses. I mean I love Gryffindor, but they are treated way better than everyone else (well, except by Snape), which isn't fair. Anyway, this was a spur of the moment kind of thing and I hope that you enjoy it. Oh, and as for the thing about Fudge--as far as I know, they never tell us what else he was in, so I just decided to make him a former Ravenclaw. Sorry, I just couldn't see him as a Gryffindor and I know that there's no way he was a Slytherin, so... That's all, enjoy! 

Rating- PG. 

Summery- Life's not fair when you are in Hufflepuff. 

Spoilers- Books 3&4, mostly.   


* * *

It's not fair. 

This should be our moment of glory, one of the few we ever get, but no we have to share it with the Gryffindors. Don't they get enough glory without taking the little bit that we get? 

It should have been so wonderful. 

Cedric is the Hogwarts Champion. A Hufflepuff is actually getting recognition, is actually getting to be the centre of attention for a moment. 

It is a wonderful moment, not just for Cedric, but for all of us. 

Our house is over-looked, constantly pushed aside. We never get any of the attention or glory, we do not even get all that much respect. That is what makes this moment even more special. 

But it was obviously not to be. 

No, it was not ruined for us. 

The Gryffindors had to crowd in on what should have been ours alone. And worse, of all people, it had to be Harry Potter. 

Do not get me wrong, Harry seems like a nice boy, but... God, doesn't he get enough attention without having to have this to? 

He is the damned golden boy of the whole school (well except the Slytherins), why does he have to be the double-Champion as well? 

It's not fair! 

But it is typical. 

And unfortunately, I know that though he and Cedric will share the title of Hogwarts Champion, Harry will get all the attention. 

He will probably win the cup too. Because he is a Gryffindor, and that is what they do. 

The get all the shining moments. They are the gold children. 

Hufflepuffs do not even really matter. 

I know that. I have known that since shortly after the hat cried out "Hufflepuff" in answer to my name. Because I am a Hufflepuff, everyone else considers me to be less. 

I, like all my house mates, are considered loyal and harmless. Useless. 

We are not brave, we are not brilliant, and we are certainly not conniving, so we do not matter. 

Quite honestly, the Ravenclaws do not matter either. They just are not dismissed quite as much as we are. 

But in the long run, they are not of any great importance. They too fade in the background, allowing the stage to be dominated by Gryffindor and Slytherin. 

Do you know that it has been forty-one years since Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw won the House Cup? It has been even longer since either house won the Quidditch Cup. 

I do not even know why anyone bothers to include us at all--after all, we will never win. 

Do you know that we have only won one Quidditch match in the last several years? 

That was another one of Cedric's shining moments, he really is the best of us. A rare gem, amongst all dull, but loyal blokes. 

That was another moment of celebration. 

Hufflepuff had beaten Gryffindor! Someone other than Harry Potter had caught the snitch! It was amazing. 

And it was a fluke. 

We all know that the reason we won was because of the Dementors and the strange affect that they had on him. Everyone knew that if things had been different, Harry would have caught the snitch no problem. 

But that is the way it always is for us. 

Every shining moment, comes with a hitch. 

Such as this current one. 

Yes, Cedric is going to be a champion, but we all know that he is going to be over-shadowed by Harry and it is not fair. 

Just for once couldn't some other than a Gryffindor or a Slytherin take center stage? 

The answer, it seems, is no. 

From what I know, it has always been this way. 

Any student destined to stand out, to make a name for him or herself, is always sorted into either Gryffindor or Slytherin. Very few of them ever fade into the woodwork. 

The only exception to that that I can think of is that the Minister of Magic was in Ravenclaw in his day. But that is it. 

And there is nothing like that for us Hufflepuffs. 

Except Cedric. He seems to be able to step outside the stereotypes. Or he would, if fate would let him. 

Shouldn't it be our turn? Shouldn't we be able to succeed just this once? Just once Gryffindor should be forced into the background, not dominating everything that they do. 

Sometimes, I almost understand why the Slytherins hate the Gryffindors so much. They are unbearable sometimes. So perfect, so above everyone else. 

There is a stereotype here that if you are a Gryffindor, you are better than everybody else. No one ever says that outloud, of course, but we all know that it is true. 

Well, it's true for everyone except Snape, who goes out of his way to make them miserable. 

Not that he is any kinder to us. No, he is meanest to the Gryffindors, but the only ones that he is ever even remotely nice too are the Slytherins. 

And, I don't like them either. 

They are even more unbearable, at least the Gryffindors are kind about thinking that they are better than us, the Slytherins just go out of their way to be nasty and horrible about it. 

Of course, everyone makes fun of the Hufflepuffs. 

And it is not fair. 

We are more than we seem. I know that. 

If only I could prove it. If only I could shout from the rooftops, that "hey, just because we are loyal does not mean we are useless." 

But I know that it will not work. People believe what they believe. That is life. 

The stereotypes will never change. 

And Hufflepuff will always fade into the background, never really thought about, never doing anything worthy of praise. 

And even when we do, it will not matter, because there will always be a Gryffindor there to steal the spotlight. 

That is the way it will always be. 

And it is not fair. 

But it is the way it is. 

The End 


	2. Ravenclaw: Into the Background

Into the Background   
By Misha 

Disclaimer- Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling and is not mine, however much I might wish differently. However, I am not making any money off of this, so please do not sue me! 

Author's Notes- Okay, this is the third story I've written focusing on an anonymous member of a particular house. The other two are "It's Not Fair" (about the Hufflepuffs) and "The Slytherin Curse". This one is about the Ravenclaws. I've decided that there will be a fourth story, this one about the Gryffindors. Basically, I decided to write these stories, because I think that the books are overly biased in the favor of one House and the other three are overlooked. Well, that's all, enjoy! 

Spoilers- All four books, I guess. 

Summery- We are Ravenclaws, so all we can ever be, is in the background. 

Rating- PG

* * *

Snobby and studious. 

That's how Ravenclaws are seen here. 

We're bright, but we don't really matter. 

We get more respect than the Hufflepuffs and are better liked than the Slytherins, but we will never be the best. 

Don't get me wrong. I like my house, I'm glad that I was put there, but... 

At the same time I envy the fact that we'll never have the glory. We'll never be the darlings of this school. Nor the villains. 

We sit on the sidelines, watching the story, but never really being a part of it. 

Very few Ravenclaws ever make names for themselves. 

It's always the Slytherins and the Gryffindors who go on to succeed. It's they who the story always centers around, the rest of us just stand there in the background, unable to do anything but watch. 

I mean, if anything, this war proves it. 

The villain, the great evil we all fear, was a Slytherin. And the hero, the one we pray will save us all, is a Gryffindor. 

That's the way it always is and always will be. 

No Ravenclaw or Hufflepuffs ever gets more than a supporting role. We are never crucial to the story. We are just there. 

The story would go on without us. It often does. 

No if you want to be remembered forever then you'd better be a Gryffindor or a Slytherin, because no one else ever truly stands out. 

Here at Hogwarts it's simple. 

The brave are idolized, the ambitious are condemned, the loyal are mocked and the clever are forgotten. 

We are nothing more than our house. No matter what we think and feel--it does not matter. We will never be judged by anything except what House we are in. 

It's that way for everyone. 

And it's not fair. 

We're more than one characteristic. We're more than our house. We're people. We have thoughts and fears, we have strengths and weakness, we have more than one personality trait. 

I am more than just clever. There are Hufflepuffs that are more than just loyal. Gryffindors who are more than just brave. And Slytherins who are things other than just plan ambitious. 

Yes, those are the characteristics that define our Houses, but they should not be what defines us. 

But it is. 

We are nothing more than our house. 

No matter what people say, all they see is which badge you wear on your robes because that tells them your worth. 

And because I wear a Ravenclaw badge, I'm not important. I'm free to be ignored. 

We are Ravenclaws, so we will fade into the background. 

That's the way it's always been and the way it always will be. 

The End 


End file.
